Run, Williams, Run
by MahanaH50
Summary: Can Danno find his way back to his beloved Islands after he gets himself involved in an intelligence investigation involving three mysterious deaths? Combine the CIA, the Navy, a missing Danno and a frantic Steve and see what you get!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: None of these characters belong to us. No money is being made and no copyright infringement is intended. This story is purely meant for fun.

Run, Williams, Run – Chapter One

Danny sat in Steve's office dreamily looking past the chalkboard and its animated scribe, which stood before him.  For well over an hour now Steve had droned on and on about every detail of the suspicious deaths of three junior naval officers.  Meanwhile the outside sun glistened, calling to Danny to come enjoy 

its warmth. 

 Mind you, it was not that Danny didn't care about the young Navy officers – two dead in a bar fight, and one an apparent suicide – it was just that he had already heard all of Steve's suspicions before.  Hadn't Steve gone over this with him just yesterday evening before he left?  Why did Steve always go over everything twice?  Didn't he have any confidence in him, Danny wondered? Well, Steve would be gone tomorrow for three days.  He was due in court and Danny would be at the helm.  Danny promised himself that he would get outside and do the legwork on this one himself.  One reason he had become a cop was so that he could be outside, dealing with people. Not tucked away in an old stone palace!  

Thinking of getting outside made Danny smile. "You see something amusing in all this?" asked McGarrett, who had realized several minutes ago that he had lost his junior colleague's attention. The change of tone in Steve's voice snapped Danny out of his thoughts.  "Sorry Steve" was all he could muster.  

Steve sighed inwardly.  Since he had brought Danno onto the Five-0 team over a year ago, he had tried in vain to get the young officer to pay more attention to details. Danno was an excellent cop, with a grasp of the big picture that helped keep the entire team on track.  His people skills, never McGarrett's strong point, were unmatched as well.  Added to that were several technical skills – marksmanship, bomb disposal, handwriting analysis –that made him literally invaluable.  But McGarrett knew, from years of experience, that in the end it was the details that brought the conviction.  "All right Danno, why don't you go on over to Uncle Lee's and bring us back some lunch?" 

 Danny was out the door before Steve had even finished the sentence.  As Steve watched him moments later from the window, he hoped that the ten minutes of sunshine would give his officer enough renewed concentration to last through the afternoon.

**********

Danny hung up the phone in disgust.  All morning he had collected information on the dead officers.  Little was making sense.   One of the two officers who were killed in the bar fight was supposedly a non-drinker.  No one had remembered serving him either.  Yet the Navy autopsy report stated his blood alcohol level to be .02, which was very high.  

The suicide case was proving to be even odder.  The officer rented a hotel room downtown, when he could have easily stayed on base for free, but then refused to leave his room the entire time.  He had even gone so far as to call up a bellboy to mail a letter for him.  If he was going to kill himself, why waste money on a hotel room?  Why not just throw himself off a cliff like so many other depressed servicemen had over the years? 

Also bothering Danny was that of all the people he had spoken to today, only a couple had said that Navy personnel took statements from them.  The Navy was usually much more thorough in their investigations. And now Danny had just hung up the phone with an anonymous caller, who wanted to meet him at the island's Marine Corp base to discuss the deaths. Unlike his informants, this man had not seemed nervous, but he still refused to give his name.  Something about the meet just didn't sit right with Danny, he never liked these types of things. But seeing how all three cases were headed – lots of doubt but little evidence – he had few alternatives. 

 Danno found himself wishing he could talk with Steve about this. But Steve was in court and the meet was set for less than an hour.  Chin and Kono were out too, busy tracking down leads on a string of exclusive country club robberies. Danno pondered the idea of stopping by the courthouse to have a quick word with Steve. No. If he was ever going to convince Steve to make him the 'official' second-in-command, he was going to have to prove to him that he could handle these things without always running to the boss. With a sigh and sense of unease, Danno put on his suit jacket and headed out.

As Danny drove towards the Marine Base he found himself growing more and more uncomfortable.  Was there something about the meet that wasn't right?  Danny had been a cop for a nearly a half a dozen years now, and was developing a healthy cop intuition.  Still, try as he did, there was nothing he could put his finger on.  Maybe it is the whole military thing, Danny finally decided.  Although many of Danny's friends viewed police work as a near kin of the military, Danny never saw it that way.  Danno had spent a short time in ROTC in college and a few months afterwards doing some training.  When he was offered an exemption from service due to his enrolling in a police academy, Dan had been only too happy to accept, eagerly trading in his commission for a badge.  To Dan the military seemed fiercely hierarchical, allowing little room for discussion or objections.  One of the things that Danny liked best about Hawaii Five-0, and about his boss Steve McGarrett, was that opinions were always welcome.  True, when Steve finally decided on a course of action he expected complete compliance, but he was almost always willing to listen before arriving at that decision.  And even more so, Danny decried the military's emphasis on killing.  Danno wielded a gun, all police officers did; but he was not out there to kill.  Indeed firing his weapon was a last resort - to be taken only when his or another innocent person's life was in danger.

Danny arrived at the Marine base and was easily passed through the gate by the young sentry. He followed the directions given him on the phone past numerous fences and signs denoting restricted access.  Finally he arrived at his destination - Storage Depot B. 

Danny walked cautiously around the storeroom. No one was there. He hoped that this wasn't another dead end.  The sun still shone high in the sky, and Danny harbored a deep desire to get out to the beach for a swim before the day was over. 'What good was it being the boss if you can't sneak in a swim?' he mused. Just then a man emerged from behind some storage crates.  He wore a Marine officer's uniform, but Danny was too far away to read the rank or nameplate.  He held something at his side but Danny couldn't make out what it was.  As Danny began to walk towards his meet, the man lifted his hand and pointed a gun directly at Dan. 

 The young cop fervently hoped that this was the man who had phoned him earlier. Quickly Danny stopped, held up his hands and identified himself.  The man nodded in understanding. Danny released a sigh and shook his head. With a deep breath he relaxed and resumed walking towards the man.  Never lowering his arm, the Marine fired the weapon. 

The bullet whizzed past Danny's ear with the usual spine-chilling whistle that Danno had heard too many times before.  The Marine had made the foolish mistake of aiming for the head instead of the torso, which made a much better target.  Danno was too good a cop to give him another clear shot.  He dropped quickly to the ground, and using a scramble pattern, searched for someplace to take cover.  

The man let loose two more shots, both missing their target by inches.  Seeing no place to run, Danny reluctantly chose the only course before him.  With a quick roll to his left he aimed his now drawn weapon at the Marine officer and fired.  The officer had chosen a slightly crouched shooting stance.  Good for accuracy when firing, but also putting himself in danger of becoming a non-moving target.  Perhaps he hadn't expected to miss, nor for Danny to be such a good shot.  Whatever the reason, it was now too late for him.  Before Danny had completely finished pulling the trigger, he knew he had just killed a man.

Danno slowly walked over to the dead man. Whenever he fired his gun at someone, Dan felt the sting of having committed an immoral act. The reason behind the shooting never seemed to matter.  The fact that he had hurt another human being always ate at him.  Steve had lectured him once that he needed to get over it, but not get used to it.  Steve's words now reverberated in his head.  'Steve needn't worry', Dan thought ruefully, he knew he would never get used to it. 

He bent down over the inert body and carefully moved the gun.  A nine-millimeter automatic he noted. That was unusual - most Marine officers were issued standard 45 caliber pistols.  Nor was it a standard nine millimeter, this was a modified weapon with a slide lock and an adjustable raised sight.  Danny thought hard - he had seen something like this before. But where?

 Dan proceeded to look over the man's uniform.  He was a major, named Owen.  Nothing unusual in the details there.  As he searched the dead form Danny found his mind wandering to the thought that moments ago this had been a living, breathing human being. 'Stop it!' he admonished himself.  'You're investigating.  Keep focused on what needs to be done!' Regaining his objectivity he once again turned his attention to the dead man.  Just then the door to the storage area flew open and in ran three men, none in uniform, but all with weapons drawn.  Danny knew enough to drop his weapon quickly and hold up his arms to show he was not a threat.  He identified himself repeatedly.  One man went over to the dead officer and the other two grabbed hold of Danny. They frisked him and pocketed his ID without even opening it.  He tried to talk to them but they were clearly ignoring what he had to say.  Dan was confused, unsure of how to handle this. He finally decided it was best to be silent and let them have their way - not fight back. 

Suddenly he was jerked forward and roughly led outside where he was pushed into the back of a black military vehicle.  One of the men got in next to him keeping a weapon trained on Danny at all times.  The same weapon as the Marine officer had who had only moments ago come so close to ending Dan's life. It occurred to the detective that since the men had entered the storage area, not one of them had uttered a single word.  Not to Danny and not to each other. They had never identified themselves either. Leaning his head back against the car's vinyl seat, the 5-0 officer could only think of the mess he had made of this investigation.  He hoped Steve wouldn't be too annoyed with him.  The thought of disappointing Steve yet again sent a wave of self-directed anger through Danny.  Then he abruptly recalled that he had just killed a man.  While he knew it had been justified, even knew Steve would be sure to see it that way, it didn't change the fact that he had taken a life.  It was turning out to be a nightmare of a day.

********

Steve McGarrett sat in his office listening in total disbelief.  The man who stood before him was the Marine Corp Base commander – Capt. John Hardway.  "I'm sorry Steve that I had to be the one to deliver the news," he said attempting to insert the appropriate amount of sadness into his tone.

Steve looked directly at this messenger of bad tidings and fixed him with his iciest stare.  "You don't expect me to believe, for even one second do you, that my officer knowingly shot an unarmed Marine?!" he shouted, punching the air with his finger for effect.

The Marine captain looked down at the floor.  "I don't expect you to believe anything at all," he stated quietly.  "But this is what the report says, and what they asked me to convey to you."

McGarrett growled under his breath.  If he heard the word "they" one more time he was going to throw something at someone.  The base commander had already explained that the storage area was located in a portion of the base under the control of the federal government's intelligence community.  Although the commander refused to be specific, McGarrett knew he was referring to the CIA.  Hardway had already described how "they" handle their own investigations, how "they" have custody of Williams, and how "they" had sent Hardway to inform McGarrett that he needs to stay out of their way. Now it was going to be McGarrett's turn to send a message.  With a deep breath and a controlled manner McGarrett told Hardway that he should tell whomever sent him that he demands to see Dan Williams immediately! 

The Marine officer stood silently for a moment, contemplating his next bit of information. He knew of McGarrett's volcanic temper and he also knew that he was about to experience it. Drumming up nearly all the courage he had left - and this was a man who had served his country valiantly in 3 wars – the unlucky base commander quietly told the head of Five-0 that Dan Williams had already been transferred to a holding area on the mainland. Steve's face turned red.  Reaching for the desk that he had been leaning against, Steve turned his back on the captain and balled his hands into fists.  The Marine noticed the knuckles on one hand were turning white.  In an obviously strained, yet still controlled voice, McGarrett asked if there was anything more that the Captain needed to tell him.   The base commander took a deep breath and held it as he told the head of 5-0 that there was nothing more. 

"Then may I suggest that you leave…NOW!"

******

Kono and Chin had seen Steve angry before. It was never a pretty sight, but they had become somewhat used to it.  But this was different. Steve was not just angry – he was furious.  The men knew that 5-0 was the equivalent of family to McGarrett, and that what was done to one of them might as well have been done to Steve himself.  After the base commander left McGarrett called them into his office and explained the reason for Danno's sudden disappearance.  Chin tried his usual best to calm Steve who had worked himself back up in recounting the situation.  "You know boss, this is probably just some government snafu.  You know how those boys do things.  Two of them put together don't make one head."

Putting a mental picture to Chin's words almost brought a flicker of a smile to Steve's face. Almost, but not quite. Still, the picture had a calming effect on Steve and he could feel the tension diminish somewhat. "Maybe you're right Chin, but I am going to get some answers even if that one head they all share has to roll!  In the meantime though," Steve added, "let's keep this quiet.  The last people we need involved are the press. I have been making some calls and trying to call in a few favors.  So far I'm not very excited with my progress."  Steve went back behind his desk pausing at the doors leading to the lanai.  "With Danno off the island, I'm afraid it will be harder than if he were here to get answers...but I will get them."

Looking at Chin and Kono Steve nodded towards the door and put on his usual 'back to business' persona to disarm the tension in the room. "You guys don't have anything better to do?" 

The men never took offense to Steve's seemingly abrasive comments...they knew it was his way of telling everyone things would be alright.  But this time the attitude failed, they both knew he was more than a little concerned.  As the two men stood and walked out of the office,  Steve returned to his desk and proceeded to continue making his phone calls.  

Kono and Chin headed to their cubicles.  "Do you really think Danny will be okay?" Kono asked Chin as he rounded his doorframe.

"Sure Kono, you'll see.  This is all some big mix-up!" was Chin's confident reply. 

 Kono wasn't so sure.  He knew that Steve had worked with these types of people before, and that if Steve was concerned, he ought to be too.  Kono also knew Danny better than anyone in 5-0.  They spent endless weekends together surfing and laughing.  Often after a tough case, Danno and he would head to a quiet spot by the water and share a few beers and unwind.  Kono really liked Danny.  He was the best haole he knew.  But haole or not, Danny was an island boy, and Kono worried how he would get by now that they took him away from his home – from the land and the sea.  Kono knew it was superstitious, but he truly believed that there was an interconnection between the land and the people who were born on it.  And the connection extended to the waters which surrounded that land.  Kono worried that Danny would be lost without that physical connection to give him the strength and guidance he needed in a crisis like this. 

 Deciding to talk more with Chin, he headed back towards his office.  For a while he watched Chin through the glass partition, sorting through paperwork as if it were business as usual.  Kono felt a stab of hurt that Chin could be so unattached.  As he continued to observe however, he became reassured that Chin did care, and wasn't quite as confident as he claimed.  Although working diligently, Chin was merely moving one stack of paperwork to another and then back again.  Stepping into Chin's office Kono nodded towards the reshuffled desktop and asked "You sure Danny's gonna be okay?"  Realizing what he had been doing, Chin looked up at Kono and merely sighed.

******

Danny lay on the bed in the room where was being 'detained', as his still unidentified captors referred to it, wondering what was really going on.  The room was comfortable and nicely furnished – it could have been in an upscale hotel in Waikiki, only it wasn't.  It was in some government facility in the middle of nowhere. 

Danny reviewed the day over and over in his mind.  He tried to concentrate on the details, as Steve always insisted.  He recalled the facts he had collected that morning on the dead naval officers, the meet at the Marine base, the ride in the car to the airfield where he was placed on a military aircraft and flown to the mainland. 

 He remembered the landing somewhere in the scrubby outskirts of what Danny took to be Los Angeles.  The drive in the back of the van with the windows covered. All the time there was a gun pointed at him, and Dan had no doubt that they would use it if necessary. Everything seemed so strange; but he had no real knowledge of how the Navy operated - perhaps this was normal behavior for them? Or were the people holding him Navy at all? There were no uniforms, no stiff military manner.  But if they weren't Navy or Marine, who were they? 

And then there was the questioning.  Three men, and probably more behind that two way mirror, asking him over and over the same questions.  Nothing ever about that Marine officer that he had shot, only questions about his investigation into the sailor's deaths and about 5-0.  Danny had refused to answer any questions that he felt were out of line, but few fell into that category.  Most were simply factual – what facts had he uncovered and who was assisting him with the investigation.  Had the circumstances not been so strange it would have seemed like nothing more than just the sharing of evidence between two government agencies.  Danny had even agreed to answering several questions while hooked up to a polygraph machine, in order to convince those holding him that he was not responsible for that Marine Major's death. It had been a matter of self-defense. But when the questioning ended Danny was not set free, nor as far as he could tell even officially arrested and booked.  Instead he was locked up in a room with no way to make contact with anyone, and no real clue to what was happening.

****

It was 2:00 am in Hawaii, making it 7:00am in Washington DC.  Steve sat in the leather chair of his office, his right foot pushed hard against the wall, while he waited to be connected with Jonathan Kaye.  Kaye had never been McGarrett's favorite person, but of all the Washington types that Steve had been forced to deal with over the years, Kaye was the most palatable.  Besides, he owed McGarrett, and Steve needed all the help he could get on this one.  All afternoon long the 5-0 men had come up against brick walls.  Steve had sent Che, accompanied by Chin Ho, over to the Marine base to look at the evidence.  But they had been denied entry.  Steve had tried all the local Navy contacts he had, but no one had even heard of the situation.  That in itself was unusual – the military was usually a first rate rumor mill.  Steve didn't like the way things were beginning to play out. 

The head of 5-0 could feel the tension that had been building in his gut all day begin to spread out through his body. McGarrett felt responsible for what had happened to Dan.  He had smelled a  cover-up all the way with the Navy deaths, and yet he had allowed a relatively inexperienced cop - at least inexperienced in the ways of the intelligence world - to try to disentangle a dangerous web on his own. Guilt is a terrible destroyer of human ability, and Steve knew he would have to fight it.  At least until Danno was found. He stretched his fingers in and out of a fist motion in an effort to reduce his frustration.  But it wasn't helping. The only thing that would help Steve knew, was to see Danno standing in the doorway.  But that could not happen until he got some answers.

The phone suddenly snapped alive. "Steve, Jonathan here!" came a voice far too chipper for 7:00am.

Steve wasted no time.  He explained the situation to Kaye.  Kaye listened silently for a while and then abruptly changed the subject.  To Steve astonishment Kaye began to recount a dinner Steve and he had shared at a local restaurant just before Kaye had returned to the mainland at the end of his last trip.  Kaye talked on and on about the wonderful food and service he had received.  Steve tried to interrupt him repeatedly, but Kaye wouldn't let him. Finally in exasperation Steve shouted into the phone "Fine! Next time you come we will go there again! Now enough!"  Steve had barely gotten the words out when the realization dawned on him.  In a now subdued tone he bid goodbye to the Washington man and hung up the phone.  

Putting on his jacket he headed out of the darkened palace, to his car and off to the The Island Grill, fervently hoping that he had read Kaye correctly.  When he arrived, the restaurant was shut for the night.  McGarrett walked around the dark brick building, his finely polished shoes stepping in puddles left from a momentary shower that had now died out.  Frustration set in as he banged on the locked doors.  He peered through the window to the kitchen.  Nothing.  No one inside. 

"Hey, buddy.  You Steve?" came a voice.  McGarrett whirled around and was shocked that he had allowed himself to be come so engrossed in his quest that he hadn't noticed a 6'4 Hawaiian teenager come up behind him.

"Have you got something for me?" he asked, trying to shake off the fright that this unexpected visitor had imparted in him.

"Just a message from your friend Jonathan," the kid said softly.  "Don't know what it means though", he added apologetically.

"Go ahead – let's have it'" said Steve, whose patience was wearing as thin as his nerves by this point.

The kid hesitated for a moment and then shrugged, as if he couldn't really believe he had been sent out in the middle of the night for such a ridiculous thing.  "The message I am supposed to give you is  -'Get him out. Anyway you can.'"

 The two stood looking silently at each other for a moment.  And then with another shrug, the kid turned and left.  Steve remained temporarily rooted in place, standing in a trade wind shower that had just started up again, with a deep sick feeling in his stomach. 

Regaining his composure, he knew the sick feeling would not be leaving anytime soon. Jonathan Kaye would not impart a message like this lightly.  And it was obvious that Kaye himself would be unable to do anything to help, except perhaps impart information.  'What can I do to save Danno?' Steve wondered. Steve had no idea where to start, yet he knew the urgency to take action was undeniable. He did not even know where Danno was.  In a maximum-security federal prison in California?  In the basement of the Central Intelligence Agency in Washington, D.C.?  In a ditch somewhere, dead?  Steve was beginning to wonder how he could possibly take on the CIA in this matter and win.  The only thing he knew for sure was, whatever he did do, he would need to do fast.  Danno's time was obviously running out.

By the time Steve had returned to the palace he had fired up his determination again.  He was not going to sacrifice Danno to the gods of fate. No, Steve believed strongly that it was human action that determined the course of events – and he was a man of action. 

 Once ensconced in his office he began the phone calls.  Throughout Steve's career he had made a few friends, and many enemies, but the one thing that he had amassed lots of, was favors.  Just off the top of his head Steve could recount a dozen people who owed him big and might have the authority – or at least the leverage – to help keep Danno safe. And despite the desperate situation - he must believe that Danno was alive, he could not let go of that.

 He began dialing his first contact at 3:15am, and was still at it at 7:00 am when Chin and Kono arrived together.  From the way the two looked Steve knew that neither of them had gotten any sleep either, despite that he had sent them home around midnight. It was obvious they were worried about Danno.  In turn they knew, from the look on Steve's face, that the situation remained unresolved and that Danny must be in grave danger.

Kono brought a box of donuts up to Steve and held it open.  Resigned to the need to eat something, Steve reached in and took one.  "Thanks, Kono", he said trying to smile.  Steve had decided on his way back from the restaurant last night there would be nothing gained by relaying the dire warning he had received from Kaye to his men. They were a close group, especially Kono and Danno, and it would only add to the stress they were already experiencing. Danno was in danger, but it was not of the usual kind.  The usual legwork that helped bring the answers in criminal cases would not help here.  Or would it?  Steve nearly leaped out of his chair causing Kono to spill the donut box.

 "Chin, Kono!" Steve spoke excitedly.  He began to pace and snap his fingers.  The others knew he was on to something and waited with anticipation.  "What if," he asked his men, fixing them with a stare, "Danno had stumbled onto something?  Something so big that they had to get him off the island and out of contact?"

Chin looked skeptical.  "Danny didn't say anything that morning.  If it was so big, why didn't he say something?"

"We weren't here bruddah, that's why. We were out with that robbery thing, remember?" was Kono's quiet retort.

Steve looked from one to the other.  Neither man seemed to have anything to add so Steve continued.  "There's only one way to find out then gentleman.  We hit the streets like Danno did and dig up everything that he found out.  Then we'll know."

"On it boss," was Chin's reply as he headed out of Steve's office with Kono on his heels.

With his men gone Steve picked up the phone again with a renewed sense of hope and started dialing. He didn't really know if he was doing any good or not.  Some of the recipients of his calls were none to pleased to speak to him about Danno's predicament. Some stonewalled him while others professed total ignorance or an inability to help.  But a few had seemed sympathetic. And Steve noted, more than once, that there was a hint given that some sort of help would be attempted. With a quick gulp of the remaining piece of donut, Steve pleaded his case to the next listener.


	2. Chapter 2

Run, Williams, Run – Chapter 2

Dan waited all night for them to come for him.  He hoped that they did not yet realize that he knew what was going on.  That he had laid here in the dark for hours until he finally came to the conclusion that they didn't care at all that he had fired his weapon in self-defense. That they were unlikely even to be Navy. The more he thought about it the more he realized that he had stumbled into something bigger than an average crime. Something bigger than 5-0 even. It was a cover up, and it must be one of major importance to kidnap a cop. And if Dan was in danger, then so was everyone else who possibly knew what he did – that meant the rest of 5-0. 

Dan knew that he needed to get out of there, and fast. He had told them everything he knew yesterday, and that made him useless to them now - it was likely that they wouldn't keep him around much longer.  Danny however, had made up his mind that he was not going to go quietly. 

Certain the room was bugged, Danny had crawled inch by inch from his bed to the door, careful not to make even the slightest sound. He had waited in the darkness for hours, the room illuminated only by the tiniest of nightlights.  Danny's eyes had adjusted to the minimal light, and he had hoped that this would have given him an edge. But now dawn had come and gone and the room was bathed in the glaring light of the desert, and still Danny waited. Over and over he continued to play the possible scenarios in his mind.  If one man came. If there were two. If they had guns drawn. Danny's muscles were getting sore from the crouched position that he held, but he dared not move.  This was the best position from which to launch his counter-assault, and Dan was going to need every advantage he could get.  

He heard them coming long before the key was inserted into the lock. His heart was beating so fast he was afraid they could hear it. He knew by the footsteps that there were two men.  The friendly chatter between them made Dan certain that they were unaware of his position behind the door.  When they opened the door he moved into action just as he had mentally rehearsed.  With his full body's weight he crashed into the door sending one man into the other and both to the floor.  Danny then jumped on top of the first man, forcing his knee into the man's abdomen.  He grabbed the man's necktie and pulled upward cutting the airflow.  Quickly, Danno reached into the man's jacket and extracted his weapon.  The man on the bottom struggled for air as the two men above him crushed him with their weight.  It seemed that all was going perfectly as Danny loosened his grip on the man's necktie and replaced it with a gun pointed towards his face.  The young Five-0 officer was inwardly congratulating himself for his successful out maneuvering of two federal agents when he felt the cold metal of a gun touch the back of his neck.  Danny had never seen the third agent coming up behind him.

Danny now sat in the back of the same van that had brought him to this place only yesterday.  Once again his hands were cuffed and a man sat with him, a gun pointed at him at all times. Unlike yesterday, was the fact that Danny knew he was being taken somewhere "safe" where they could dispose of him. He was becoming tired of waiting for them to decide to make their move, and half wished that if they intended to shoot him, that they would just do it already. 

 Danny tried hard not to think of his friends and his family.  Or of his coworkers at 5-0, who were practically both to him.  He tried valiantly not to dwell on the possibility that he might never set foot on his beloved Hawaii again – the sand, the rocks, and even the hot asphalt of the city streets.  But try as he did, the people and sights of his home kept intruding on his thoughts. 

 'Concentrate. Think of a way out of this!' he commanded himself.

 Danny looked at the weapon that was being pointed in his direction, it was the same weapon the Marine had, and the same weapon they all carried.  "I know a bit about weapons", Dan began, trying to insert a friendly demeanor into his tone. "I've seen that type of nine millimeter before. Who makes it?"

The target of the Dan's query ignored the question, but briefly glanced at his weapon.  The detective knew he had sparked some interest.  Perhaps he could get this man to drop his guard for a moment. Doubtful, Dan knew.  'Or at least give me some information I can somehow use'.  He doubted his ploy at attempting communication would work - these types of men where not likely to make rookie mistakes.  But options were running out quickly. The 5-0 man tried again.  "I _know_ I've seen that type, with the modifications just like that.  I just can't remember where." 

The man gave a small sigh. "It's a Smith and Wesson Model 39.  The Navy SEALS use them."

"Hush-Puppies!" Dan answered excitedly, using the nickname employed by the Navy Special Forces team to describe their nearly silent killing tool.

The man holding the weapon smiled and nodded.

Dan now knew where he had seen this weapon before.  Steve had shown him one that he had removed off a dead spy.  Steve had warned him that this was the choice handgun of the shadowy intelligence community, especially the Central Intelligence Agency. Reality dawned on Danny - he was a prisoner of the CIA.  He also knew that if he had only realized this the other day in the Marine storage room, he would have been better prepared for what lay before him. 

Having found a soft spot in his guard, Danno decided to press on. "The Marine who shot at me the other day had one.  I didn't realize Marine officers got them too."

"They don't. And no one shot at you," the man answered coolly, "You killed an unarmed man."

The meaning of the statement took a moment to register. Danny began to feel his heart sink. 'So that's what the story is', Danny thought.  Up until now he hadn't had the time to think what others were being told about his disappearance. Surely Steve wouldn't believe them!  But then why not? They would simply make the evidence fit their lie.  It would explain his disappearance easy enough and Steve would have no choice but to believe them. Danny was surprised how this information could disturb him so deeply.  He wouldn't have thought that anything more could bother a condemned man like himself. He knew with certainty that he had to get back to Hawaii now.  Danny had been concerned about the safety of those he worked with, but he also didn't want to die without the opportunity of telling Steve that it wasn't true. Maybe in the end he would wind up dead all the same - after all, the CIA has a long reach. But he couldn't die before letting the others know that the man had been armed and that he had only killed him in self-defense. 

"Concentrate Danno!  Listen for sounds. Figure out where you are and be ready for your next move." Steve's voice rang in Danny's ears.  He could hear Steve so clearly, that he had to look around just to make sure it wasn't really him.

Despite the fact there was no foreseeable way out of this situation, Danny had to adhere to the voice.  'As usual, Steve is right!'  Danny thought sarcastically. 

 As Danny focused all his energies on formulating his next move, he heard the sound of a car pulling along side the van.  Abruptly the van stopped.  More sounds.  Arguing.  Danny could not make out what was being said, but the man who sat with him was clearly disturbed by this turn of events.  A few seconds later the back of the van was opened and several men with high-powered rifles stood at the opening pointing their weapons inside.  But the weapons were not pointed at Danny, but rather his traveling companion who now wisely had laid his gun on the van's floor and raised his hands.  

"Get out Williams," said one of the men. 

Danny complied.  The van's driver was then ordered to uncuff Dan.  With no idea what was happening, Danno looked from one set of men to the other.  They all looked practically the same to him.  Short haircuts, dark suits, expressionless faces.  Government men. From a different agency perhaps? The two groups seemed to know each other; neither seemed surprised at the situation, although the first group was clearly yielding to the superior firepower of the interlopers. Not sure if he was being rescued or set up again Dan was just as confused as the group who had been holding him.

"Who are you?' inquired Danny of the man who had ordered his uncuffing.

"Never mind, Williams.  Get out of here."

Danny looked around him.  Nothing but brush and, in the distance, mountains.  And of course the road they were on, of which Danno had no idea where it led.  

"Go on Williams.  Get going!"  the man repeated.

Danno had no water, no food and no map.  How far would he get?  Would the first group of men resume chasing him?  Was he expected to run like a hunted animal? Or was it a set up?  The minute he took off would they shoot him in the back?  Not sure who to trust or exactly what to do Danny remained frozen in place. 

Finally in clear exasperation the government man shouted "Run Williams, run!"

Danno momentarily locked eyes with the man, and he knew that this was his chance at freedom. He also knew that he would not be given another one. Danny ran. 

He ran for what seemed like hours, until he thought he was going to die from exhaustion and thirst. He could hear his heart pounding in his head begging him to stop.  Each breath he took screamed in pain and he had to struggle to remain upright.  Finally not able to go any further, Danny dropped to the ground in total exhaustion.  

The sun was past full height now, but the heat of the day had not ebbed at all.  Looking around there was still no shade to be found.  Trying to sharpen his senses, he forced his breathing to slow down.  Within minutes he could begin to feel some of his energy return.  In the distance he heard a noise.  He could not make it out, so he forced his body to get up and to walk closer to the source of the noise.  Eventually he realized it was the rumbling sound of cars and trucks. Danny had found another road.

 He approached the road with caution, not sure of where his captors were, he didn't want to take any chances at being spotted.  But eventually Danny realized that if he was going to get help he had no choice but compromise his safety. Posting himself practically in the way of oncoming traffic he stuck his thumb out and attempted to look casual and friendly.  After about twenty minutes, a truck pulled over.  Quickly Dan scrambled into the cab before the driver could change his mind.  The driver was an older black man, who was obviously none to pleased upon closer inspection of what he had picked up.

"Well, you ain't a hippie with that short hair, and you ain't a hiker with no pack.  What are you anyway?" he asked with a slightly disgusted tone.

Danny decided that the truth would not only not be believed, but would probably lose him his ride. Not to mention could endanger the man's life. He decided instead to go for a half-truth. "I was forced against my will to go for a ride with some idiots, and then they dumped me out here in the desert," he answered.

"Hooligans!" answered the truck driver and he reached over and patted Dan on the shoulder. "Seems the whole country's out of control as of late! No respect for law or nothin' anymore.  Do you want me to radio the cops?'

"No, no", Danny answered quickly but nonchalantly.  I just need to get to back to LA, and I'll be fine."

The trucker agreed as Danny requested.  "LA, huh!  Well that's where this ole rig is headed,"   laughed the man.  "Closest I'm goin' though is the shipping yard, I can take ya elsewhere if need be?"

"Shipping yard will be fine for me."

Danny nervousness still ran high, and he wasn't ready to trust anyone or anything just yet.  He wanted badly to call Steve, but was not comfortable in asking the man to pull over at a pay phone.  If they were looking for him, and he knew they were, he didn't want to be spotted with the truck driver.  Right now the safest thing was to get to the largest city, and find a way to either get home or call Steve.

Stealing another look at Danny, the driver noticed how tired he looked.  He could imagine the ordeal his passenger must have been through.  "It's gonna be awhile before we get to LA...why don't ya just climb in back and get yourself some rest?"  

Looking at what appeared to be a tiny bed behind the front seats, Danny was at first hesitant.  He needed to stay sharp, but then again he desperately needed to rest.  Deciding to take the man up on his offer, Danny carefully climbed into the back and within minutes was sound asleep.

Two hours later they were at the docks.  The trucker hated to wake Danny.  He had been a driver on the road for almost twenty years, and during that time he had met a lot of folks from all over the country.  He felt he was a good judge of people - and something inside him told him that this hitchhiker, dirty suit and all, was on the level.  He also sensed that his passenger was in some sort of trouble. He hoped it was something the young man could find his way out of. Gently he woke Danny from his sleep.  The cop was wide awake immediately...all those late night and early morning calls from the job had taught him to come to full consciousness fast. 

Still exhausted but grateful for the rest, Danny thanked the trucker and shook his hand before he climbed out of the rig.  Realizing that if Danny had been left stranded he was unlikely to have any money, the trucker insisted on leaving Danny with a five-dollar bill so that he could get something to eat.  "Not much, but ya can get some food", he insisted.  Danny reluctantly gave in and took the money.  He didn't quite know how to thank him.  Taking his name and address, Danny promised to repay him. Once the truck was out of sight Danny memorized the name and number and disposed of the paper.  If he was caught again, the last thing he wanted was the kind driver's number found on him, and his becoming mixed up in this horrible mess.  

Looking around the shipyard Danny spotted a convenience store near the yard.  After buying some food, several gallon jugs of water, and a flashlight, he went to the pay phone in front of the store.  He began to dial a collect call, but hung up before the operator came on the line. He recalled how phones calls were tracked by either bugging a line or by tracking the phone numbers coming into a particular phone line.  He seriously doubted that Steve's phone would be bugged, but he didn't doubt that these people had the ability to track phone numbers.  If they were doing that, they would know he was at a dock and it would be a short leap of the imagination to deduce that he was headed back to Hawaii.  They would also know he was trying to reach Steve which could place 5-0 in even greater danger.  

Giving up on the idea of calling Steve, or anyone else in fear of bringing an innocent into this mess, Danno walked back to the docks.  He knew the docks had shipments going to Hawaii daily.  Finding the shipping office abandoned by its inhabitants for an afternoon coffee break, Dan was able to check the manifest for each ship to see where they were going and what they were carrying.  Danny kept in mind that his captors would possibly do the same thing - if they haven't already. He needed to find the most unlikely mode of getting onboard the ship.

Danny easily located the cargo for the ship that he wanted to board.  Going beyond the ship's cargo he then located what he was looking for.  Empty cargo containers.  He looked carefully for the right kind of crate which would serve as his ride home.  When he found what he wanted, he carefully lifted the latch and climbed in. He then made himself as comfortable as one could.  Though his new quarters were large, he knew that by the end of a week' journey it would feel cramped.  Having worked on many dock theft investigations he had known just what to look for.  Empty containers were always transported back and forth for use at the receiving docks.  He also knew they were never kept with the ship's other cargo, were never locked...and more importantly...never listed on the ships manifest.  There's nothing to report for an empty crate on a ship's log. Now all he hoped for was that his captors didn't know this.  He wasn't overly confident, but he couldn't imagine these guys ever working the docks or investigating cargo unless they did it as undercover...and none of them looked liked they had ever seen an undercover job in their career.

******

Danny wasn't sure how long he had been waiting.  His watch and all his belongings were taken from him as soon as he had arrived at his room where he had been detained.  'Detained my...!' he countered his original thought.  

 Suddenly Danny heard talking, but wasn't sure if the voices belonged to dock employees or those he was fleeing.  As they came closer he could clearly hear them even through the thick sides of the crate.  Holding his breath Danny was instantly relieved when he heard the dock employees complaining about the delay because federal agents wanted to search their ship and the cargo being loaded.  

"I can't believe they said those dogs were looking for contraband or drugs."  Danny heard one of them say sarcastically.  "Don't them guys know people don't ship that stuff TO Hawaii?!  It's Hawaii that ships it to us!!!" 

'Yeah right!'  Danny thought. 'Either you're in on it or you haven't worked on the docks very long.  It's a two way street, brother.'

In the background Danny could make out the sound of a forklift.  As the sound drew closer he suddenly felt his container being moved.  Relief filled Danny in the knowledge that the feds didn't know about the empty crates or didn't venture out as far as he was with the dogs.  Nor was it likely that the employees would volunteer that information or think to inform them about the crates.  

Once Danny figured he was safely aboard ship, he couldn't help but wonder who had freed him and why. He knew now for certain that he had stumbled into a cover-up.  He had really only seen a few people so far, and had only been able to guess that they were from the CIA.  Perhaps another branch of the CIA had let him go?  He knew that was not likely.  Could it have been another government agency?  FBI maybe?  Had Steve had a hand in it? Danny felt a wave of depression cover him. 'How could it possibly have been Steve's doing if he thinks I shot an unarmed man?' 

Danny shook his head in an attempt to fight the depression.  Taking a sip of his water he decided he would try to get some sleep.  'I have to plan what to do once I get to Hawaii...and for that I need some rest.'

Closing his eyes, Danny quickly drifted off to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Louis Gerbert was the Assistant Director of Covert Operations for the Central Intelligence Agency.  It was a high position and it commanded a wide power base.  But as Gerbert listened to the West Coast Regional Operations Director explain over the phone how they had lost Dan Williams, Gerbert could feel the ground under him slipping away like loose sand.  "And exactly _who the hell_ were these yahoos who sprung Williams?!" he demanded, his voice rising and his throat tightening all at the same time.

"We don't know for sure, sir," was the shaky response from the other end of the phone.  "They had the MO of the NSA, right down to the weaponry.  But Jones thought he recognized one of the men from his work with Naval Intelligence."

Gerbert tried to integrate what he was being told.  'Why would the National Security Agency be involved?' Maybe it was meant to be a little inter-agency nose thumbing.  The NSA was always annoyed with having to play second fiddle to the CIA in the spy game. 'Never can tell with that crew', he thought. But Naval Intelligence, that didn't make any sense. 'Why would NI stick its neck out like that for Williams?'

"Remind me again," Gerbert intoned in a low, disgusted voice, "why you didn't just shoot Williams _after _he killed that useless Marine of yours?"  

The man on the other end of the phone thanked his stars that he and Gerbert were 3000 miles apart.  "Sir, we couldn't.  After he shot the Marine there was no way anymore to make it look like a simple case of a mistaken intruder.  We thought we could make it look like an arrest, and then ditch him somewhere.  But since we had to have him for a while anyway, I just thought it might be a good idea to find out if he knew anything first."

Gerbert growled. Sometimes he could not believe the level of idiocy he was forced to work with. "You can not arrest someone and then 'ditch' them Stephens! It doesn't work that way in the world of law enforcement."

Stephens didn't answer.

"I want Williams found and taken care of.  I will have no more loose ends on this.  If you think he may have told anything to anyone else, take care of them as well. And this time, do it right!"

"He didn't seem to know much, sir, we are pretty certain of that.  He seems to have contacts on both the East and West Coast though.  I thought I would concentrate on the California area since he doesn't have any money and can't get far like that.  You don't think he would try to head back to Hawaii, do you?" Stephens asked.

"No." Gerbert answered with authority.  "Only a fool would run to an island to hide. But have your men check the docks just in case."

"That's already being done for every ship leaving the mainland and every ship arriving in

Hawaii, regardless to where to, sir."

"Just find him Stephens...and take care of him before this gets out of hand!"

Before Stephens could reply he heard the receiver at the other end disconnect.  Looking at his phone Stephens rolled his eyes and sighed in apprehension at the thought of having to deal with the Assistant Director when he really got mad.

*******

_Danny was looking down at Major Owens' body.  Suddenly he looked up to see Steve standing next to him, shaking his head in disappointment._  _"You shouldn't have done it Danno. You've killed an innocent unarmed man...and on purpose!  _

_"No Steve, wait, that's not the way it happened!"_

_"I don't understand.  I thought you were one of us" Steve said quietly. "We were counting on you Danno.  Now 5-0 is going to have to take the heat for your impulsive actions."_

_"But Steve, It's not how it looks…"_

_"From now on you stay far away from 5-0, Williams!" Steve turned his back on Danny and headed to the door._  

"NO!" Danny banged his head heavily against the side of the crate as he jumped forward waking from his nightmare.  Breathing rapidly and sweating, and unable to see anything in the darkness that surrounded him, he tried to remember where he was and why.  

In a moment, it all came back to him - he was a fourth class stow-away on a freighter bound for Hawaii. Dan could feel a trickle of blood running down his face from where he had hit his head.  Noting that the injury was just a cut he took his tie off from around his neck and poured a small amount of water on it.  Gently he dabbed at the cut, then held it to his head trying to get the wound to clot.  Not the healthiest way to treat a cut, but it would have to do.  He couldn't help but laugh at the fact that he still had his coat and tie. After all he had been through he couldn't believe that he had held on to those items.  

The dream disturbed him more than he even wanted to admit.  The thought that Steve must be really disappointed with his detective weighed heavy on Danny's mind.  He must find a way to convince Steve of the truth. 

 On top of it all was Danny's constant fear that the lives of his friends could be in great danger.  'What if something has already happened!', Danny jumped forward, once again bumping his head in the same spot.  

"OUCH!  Stop it!!" Danny cried out in pain.  The bleeding that had subsided, now flowed freely again.  Growing impatient with the wound, Danny found a dry spot on his tie and held it back up to his head.  'I've got to quit doing that!  And I've got to quit thinking something has already happened to the guys.'

************

All the way home that evening Steve McGarrett cursed the politicians who had allowed such forces as those that now held sway at the Central Intelligence Agency, to amass the type of power that they now seemed to posses.  He had seen the downfall of Naval Intelligence years before, when a few power seekers had been allowed to use the threat of communism to solidify their power base and get rid of all who dared to disagree. McGarrett had had a first row seat at those witch hunts, and when he could no longer see the good names of honest men maligned in the name of national security, he had left the service for the seemingly simpler world of law enforcement.  

Now he wondered if by running he had only allowed the problem to continue unchallenged until it pervaded other portions of the national government. 'All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.' Steve silently recalled the Edmund Burke quote and sighed.  No.  He would not blame himself for the state of the US intelligence community.  At least not today.  It would not do Danno any good. He knew he needed to concentrate on finding a way out of this mess.  

Two days ago Steve had received another message from Jonathan Kaye.  It had said simply "They lost him".  Steve surmised that it meant that Danno was somehow able to get free of his captors.  It had brought him a momentary feeling of pride that one of 5-0's men had been able to escape federal agents.  But Steve was concerned also.  Where would Danno go?  

He knew that Danno had friends from his college days still in California, as well as an aunt on the East Coast.  Would he head to one of them?  If so, how would he get there? If not, how would he eat, where would he sleep? Would Danno know they would be hunting him like some lost prey?  Does Danno stand any chance at all at staying lost?  The questions continued to engulf Steve's mind.  He felt disheartened that Danno was most likely in a strange place, all alone, no way to protect himself, and with only the clothes on his back.  

He wondered if Danno was hurt, was he afraid, does he know they were trying to help him?  Steve wasn't sure where all this was coming from and he was too tired to even care.

 Steve pulled his car into his building's parking lot and sat silently for several minutes.  He knew that he could not afford to be distracted with questions that he could not answer. He also knew Danno wouldn't go to anyone he knew outside of law enforcement in fear of placing them in danger.  His biggest fear was that Danno wouldn't contact anyone in fear they could be hurt...including 5-0. 

He had to believe that Danno could take care of himself.  He was a resourceful man, and despite his boyish looks he had a lot of solid experience to draw on. What Danno needed from him was to figure out what was going on here.  The last few days had been fruitless.  Kono and Chin had knocked on every door that it was likely that Danno had been to. They had followed up every lead no matter how small.  And they had worn their contacts thin in a desperate effort to uncover whatever it was that Danno had found. But so far nothing at all had emerged.   Except perhaps a feeling on Steve's part that someone had gotten to these witnesses and contacts before them, and had shut them down. 

 Steve had to marvel at the kind of power and efficiency that would indicate. Marvel as well as shutter.  Before emerging from his car Steve leaned his forehead against the car steering wheel and closed his eyes.  Years before he had lost his faith in the face of too many gruesome realities.  But tonight he had made an instant decision not to allow his doubts to shut out any avenue of hope for Danno. Quietly Steve prayed that Danno would remain safe and very lost.

****** 

A few fruitless days of investigation later, Steve McGarrett jogged down the beach as he did nearly every morning of his life. The fact that his acting second in command was missing and that a government agency was in pursuit of him was not reason enough to forgo the run. Indeed, the jogging helped him to focus on the dilemma before him as well as burn off the frustration that was constantly surrounding him.

As he approached the edge of the beach near the pedestrian walkway that led to the apartment complex, he noticed a familiar silhouette in the distance. The man waved towards him and Steve quickly headed in his direction.

"Governor, is everything all right?" a concerned McGarrett asked.  He hoped no urgent business brought the head of the state here. That would take time away from his current crisis, and he had no extra energy to expend.

The Governor looked directly at the head of Five-0. "You tell me Steve."

Steve looked around him, the beach was empty.  He motioned the Governor to walk with him and the man complied.  They walked to the water's edge.

"What do you know, sir?" Steve inquired.

"Not much.  I have friends Steve, in high places so to speak.  Rumors have gotten back to me.  Danny Williams is missing isn't he?" 

Without a word from Steve, he already knew the answer.  Steve commented once on how you could read Danny's face like a book.  Funny how Steve never noticed that when his defenses were down his face could be read just as easily. 

Steve nodded. "Governor I don't know how much I want to drag you into this. It seems that during an investigation Dan was conducting he got mixed up in an intelligence matter.  I have limited information and I'm trying to get him out of this.  So far I am not sure if I'm doing any good." 

The Governor sighed.  Like McGarrett he disliked these shadowy 'law enforcement' entities.  He was a man of politics, and that in itself dictated a respect for democracy and the rule of law - something these groups seldom shared. "My high powered friends are mostly politicians Steve, I am not sure how much help they would be. But I can try to make a few phone calls on Danny's behalf." he offered. 

 Steve instantly remembered why he always voted for this man.  "Please do, Governor.  Anything you can do at all would be a help."

The Governor shook Steve's hand and turned to leave.  Steve called after him and he turned back.

"One more thing, sir. When I make _my_ phone calls, would you mind if I used your name?" Steve inquired.  "I could say something to the effect of - you appointed Danno personally."

The Governor maintained a completely straight face and serious tone, but there was a twinkle in his eye. "Steve, you can say Danny's my illegitimate son if you think it would help!"  

And with that the Governor of the State of Hawaii headed back up to the walkway, leaving his state police commander with the first grin he had had in days.

****

It was the seventh day Danny had been at sea. The once roomy storage container, which was meant for the back of a tractor trailer rig, was nothing more than a dark prison for him now.  He had rationed his food carefully, but the motion of the ship had made him repeatedly lose the food that had eaten, so that he was beginning to feel weak from lack of nourishment. Nor did he have the stomach to eat anything more.

Danny could tell when night fell from the lack of topside noise, and he anxiously awaited this time of day. As he had done all the previous days he carefully lifted the latch and slid the container door open a crack.  The sea air kissed his face and he breathed deeply. It was a tremendous change from the stale air of the container.

His container was stacked third from the bottom which put him about twenty feet from the ground. But there was only a few feet between the stacks, and so wedging his body carefully between containers, he was able to make his way down to the ship's deck.  Once on deck he listened for the sound of the watch seaman. Then he carefully made his way to the rail, dumping overboard the remains of his half eaten food and waste.

It was getting difficult for him to make this daily trip, as his legs were getting progressively weaker. The container was big enough to walk in, but Dan usually remained as still as possible to avoid making any sounds, which in turn left him with cramped and stiff muscles.

As he stood at the rail looking out into the distance he scanned the blackness. Somewhere out there was Hawaii, his home. And his friends. The sooner he could warn them the better off they'd all be.

Danny sighed, he hated to return to his prison, but he knew the longer he remained outside, the greater the chance he would be spotted. Dan reluctantly made his way back up through the small space between the crates, at one point catching his arm on a protruding latch. The pain throbbed through his arm for several minutes and he bit his tongue to keep from yelping from the agony. Finally the pain subsided and he made his way up to his own metal crate, crawled inside, and pulled the door closed behind him. Laying in the darkness he cheered himself with the thought that the freighter should be arriving in Oahu by morning.

****

Danny could tell from the motion that the ship was preparing to pull into dock.  He knew from the manifest log that the ship was scheduled to be in Honolulu by 7:00 a.m.  He also figured that there would be too much sunlight to make a break for it now, but the ship was planning to reload immediately and he would be forced to act as soon as his crate was taken off the ship.  No doubt they would come for the empty ones first so they could utilize them for the return trip.  This part of his plan was to be the most dangerous, since it was the most visible.  He would have to rely on shear luck for this endeavor.

Feeling the ship stop, Danny grabbed the empty water containers and any traces of the food he still had.  If he was fortunate enough to leave without being detected, he didn't want to leave any clues of his presence.  An empty crate with containers and food crumbs would more than alert those he were fleeing that he was back in Hawaii.

Once the crate had been safely delivered to the ground, Danny strained to see if he could hear any surrounding noise. He could tell the dock workers were going for another load as their voices became more distant. With any luck Danny's crate would be among many and that would offer some cover for his escape.  

Slowly he lifted the latch and pulled the door open slightly, allowing time for his eyes to adjust to the daylight.  He was out in the open and didn't see many crates near him, but he also didn't see any people either.  Taking a deep breath Dan quickly exited the crate and stumbled toward the nearest shelter he could spot.  His legs began to cramp immediately and he even fell twice before he reached a shack the workers used for a makeshift lunchroom.  Never looking back, Danny waited at the side of the small building to see if anyone was coming after him.  Stifling his groans from the pain, he sat on the ground rubbing his legs and doing his best at staying quiet, satisfied now that no one saw him.  Danny finally stood and walked around to the other side of the building to see if he could decide where to head next.  He threw his container into the can near the shack.  He knew no one would think anything of it there.  He wondered if this was proof that Steve's 'pay attention to the details' lectures were finally sinking in?  

Taking a careful look around, Danny noticed that a well-dressed man was talking with a dock worker in the distance.  There was no way for the detective to be certain if he were a government agent or not.  But Dan knew he could take no chances now. How would he ever get away from the dock without being spotted?   A few yards away was a ship junkyard with old beat up and disposed of boats, and boat parts, rusting away.  If someone were looking for him, they would have already checked that area and most likely wouldn't check it again. Looking around to see if the coast was clear, Danny ran as hard and as fast as his legs would work.  Just as he reached the junk yard he dove for the ground and scrambled underneath some of the wreckage.  As he settled in, he looked back over towards the shipping dock and saw that the crate he had been in was being moved to the area where the suited man stood.  Danny was thankful there were no dogs.  If they had dogs with them, his ship hideout would be discovered, and the knowledge that he was on the island would have put his friends in further danger. 

Relaxing slightly, Danny knew he would have to remain in the junk yard until night time.  Then he would attempt to make contact with 5-0.  He could hear his stomach grumble from the lack of food and water.  His body ached and his mind was beyond exhausted.  Closing his eyes and attempting to sleep Dan was suddenly awakened by one of the dock workers walking through the yard. He held his breath and watched the man who was apparently taking a break.  The worker didn't stay long but as he left Danny knew he would have to stay awake.  If he had been paying attention he could have avoided this close call by moving in a different direction from the man.  'It's going to be a long day...and an even longer night,' he thought.

******

It was nearly 8 o'clock when a very tired and very frustrated Steve McGarrett arrived home.  A week of investigation that had yielded not a single promising lead - he had never seen anything like it before. It was almost as if neither Danno nor those three navy officers ever existed.  If there wasn't an empty cubicle sitting directly outside his office door, they could have him believing it too, he thought bitterly.  Steve made his way into his dark and silent apartment.  He stood inside his doorway and felt a strange presence. Only the slightest light from the city, coming from beyond the lanai's glass door, illuminated the dark room.  Normally Steve switched on the light immediately upon entering, but tonight he chose instead to walk across the darkened room and draw the curtain to his lanai door closed.  Steve had no idea how he knew, there had not been a sound neither made nor a movement spotted, but somehow Steve knew that Danno was in his apartment.  He turned on a small lamp light by the sofa and stood waiting.  

"You can come out Danno," Steve said quietly, not quite knowing in which direction to speak. 

"There's no one here but us."

Danno emerged from behind the partition that separated the small kitchen from the living room.  He turned on the light and stood leaning against the wall.  "Boy, either you're a great detective or I'm lousy at keeping quiet" was Danny's greeting, delivered with a half grin.

Steve approached his officer and looked him over.  He didn't look all that bad, although his clothes were dirty and he obviously hadn't shaved or showered in many days.  Steve also noticed a small amount of dried blood on his head and the weariness in his eyes.  The most important thing he noticed was that Danno was not looking directly at him.  Steve approached him and placed his hand on Danno's shoulder, but Danno pulled away from him.

Walking to the living room he began, "Steve," he said, never quite making eye contact, "I didn't do it.  I didn't shoot that man like they said.  There's some kind of set up going on here.   I'm not sure of the details, but I was being set up!  Someone's trying to get rid of me and I don't know why!"  The words were picking up speed as he said them, as if speaking quickly would make them seem more convincing, or maybe because he wanted to get everything out before Steve asked him to leave.

 This surprised Steve.  He never for a moment had considered that Danno would think that he would believe such a concoction of lies as had been presented. "Danno, I know!" Steve said with conviction.  Having moved to the living room he now stood directly in front of his officer.  "I know you, and I know these people you are dealing with.  I never doubted you for a moment"

Danny finally looked directly at Steve.  The expression on his face relayed his incredulity. "You knew?" he asked in disbelief.  

Danny felt an incredible load lift from his shoulders.  It had been so important to him that Steve know that he wouldn't do something like that. But of course Steve must have conducted his own investigation, 5-0 style. "I didn't think they would let you investigate the scene." Danny added with continued amazement.

"Are you kidding, they didn't let us go near the scene!" Steve responded angrily.  "All they did was send the base commander to tell me you were being held, and then to stymie my investigation at every turn!" 

Dan was confused.  "Then how did you know it didn't go down like they said?"

"I told you Danno, I know you. And you aren't capable of anything like that!  Why are you so shocked?"

Danny had so badly wanted Steve's approval and respect that he had never considered the notion that he may already have it.  Slowly, as it all sank in, Danny let out a deep sigh of relief and then unceremoniously fell back into the couch with exhaustion.  "Thanks" he said, looking directly at Steve and smiling slightly.  

But just as suddenly as he felt relief, he could feel the anxiety begin to build again.  Once he knew Steve was all right with the shooting incident, he quickly reminded himself that he had placed his boss in danger by coming here. But Danny also believed that Steve was the only one who would know what to do.  "I need your help Steve.  I didn't mean to put you in danger by coming here, but I wasn't sure where else to turn."

Steve could see the regret in Danny's eyes.  Danny's eyes always gave his feelings away.   "I'm glad you came Danno", was Steve's honest response. He took a seat directly across from Dan. "I know you need help and I've been doing my best at this end.  With you back we can figure out what's going on.  The main priority is to keep you safe."

"The main priority is to keep others around me safe!" Danny corrected. "Steve, I'm worried about my foster family here on the island and about my aunt on the mainland.  I know they must be watching them. And my aunt is elderly...I can't shake the feeling they might approach her"

"We've been keeping an eye on the Keones, Danno. So far no one's approached them." Steve said reassuringly. "As for your aunt, I'll find a way to contact her without giving anything away. Just don't worry about anything or anyone else but you right now." Wrinkling his nose Steve jokingly added, "Why don't you start with a shower Danno?  And some clean clothes!"

Looking down at his battered and dirty suit, Danny gave a slight laugh, "Yeah, I wouldn't mind that either."

Over the next few hours Danno cleaned up while Steve ran his clothes through the wash and fixed his fugitive guest a dinner of eggs and toast.  Danno had four servings.   If it weren't for the dire circumstances Danny was in, Steve would have had to laugh at the ill fitted clothes Danny had borrowed from him while waiting for his own clothes to dry.  Seeing that he must be a sight and wanting to lighten the atmosphere some Danny jokingly said, "Good thing it was my best suit. Otherwise washing and drying it would really do a number on it, and I would be forced to wear these until this was all over!" 

Steve allowed a broad smile to cross his face as he thought how thankful he was to have Danno with him safe and secure.  But just as quickly, he felt the need to turn away from him.  'This is a fellow police officer that I work with and that's all!' he chastised himself.  

Steve was disturbed by his protective instincts towards his officer.  He knew he needed to be able to send all of his men into dangerous situations without any extra concerns for their safety.  Protecting one cop over another was a type of favoritism he could not allow in so small a unit as 5-0.  But still, what was it about Danno that made him care so much? Clearing his throat, Steve decided to go for the route most comfortable to him...work.

They went over what they both knew, detail by detail, over and over again.  It was clear that

Danno had stumbled onto a cover up that was apparently considered to be of such importance, that it was worth the life of three navy officers, a Marine major, and one state police officer. But what the cover up actually was, neither could figure. "How can you be so sure they were CIA Danno?" Steve asked, although his gut instinct told him the same thing.

"They had Hush Puppies, Steve."

Steve felt a pang of pride.  He had shown his detective that weapon only once, and he doubted Dan had come across it since then, yet he had remembered it. Danno was a quick learner.  "Excellent Danno!  How about the men who sprung you?"

"They had submachine guns Steve.   Maybe Smith and Wesson 76s, I couldn't be sure, it all happened so fast." Dan paused. "I heard the Navy uses them sometimes." 

Steve thought for a moment.  Danno was right.  The Navy did use them, Naval Intelligence that was.  And the NSA too. The two groups had close links. Steve wondered if one of his calls had indeed done the trick for Danny.  He still had many friends in Naval Intelligence. He wondered also if he would be required to repay the favor someday.  But right now that was irrelevant.  Danno was safe for the moment - but if they didn't crack this case open soon, he would be in danger again very shortly.  Dan couldn't hide forever. 

The two talked some more, but neither could come up with anything useful, let alone a key to the entire mess.

 "Danno, are you sure you have given me everything?"  Steve pushed.  "Every detail is essential."

Danny nodded.  "That's everything Steve."

"All right', Steve sighed, "Maybe after a good night's rest some of this will make sense to one of us."

Danno got up from the table and headed toward the dryer to retrieve his clothes.  "I guess I had better head out then.  I'll be in contact."

Steve was horrified.  "Just where do you think you're going?' he demanded of his young officer in an incredulous tone.

Danno explained that he needed to leave under the cover of darkness.  He did not want to put Steve in danger anymore than he had already.

'That's ludicrous Danno!  I'm not sending you out with a place to go or sleep!"  

'Steve, you know you're being watched.  You know if you're seen with me they'll be after you as well!  Then what?  We both know you're my only hope in this...I don't stand a chance of surviving without you Steve."

"Alright!  I know, I know. But you aren't leaving tonight. You need to regain your strength.  Stay here tonight, I'll wake you before dawn.  This way you can get some rest and you will still be able to leave while it's dark."

 Danny acquiesced and walked back to the table. He looked Steve in the eye, "Mahalo Steve."

Steve shook his head and got up from the table and patted Danny on the shoulder as he passed him, "C'mon, I'll show you your room.  You can thank me by finding a safe place to stay and contacting me on a regular basis."

With the alarm set for 4:30 am, Danny retired to Steve's spare room to sleep, and Steve headed for his bedroom to think.  After a few hours of accomplishing nothing, Steve sat in his bed staring at the clock, which now read 2:05am, and listening to the storm outside.  He was also listening to the rattling sound coming from his spare room.  Steve knew that the window must have been left open, and that the rain and high wind was shaking it in its loose frame. "Why doesn't Danno get up and close it?" Steve wondered.  "No one can sleep through that racket".  Reluctant to disturb his guest's privacy, Steve waited until he could the no longer stand the rattling sound, and then headed for the spare room.

******

_Danny stood on the beach, surrounded by mountains and the cold, angry sea.  Hidden in the mountains and their jagged cliffs, were snipers who Danny could not see.  Every now and then a flash appeared among the stone walls and Danny knew that he had been once again shot at.  The bullets never quite connected, but instead grazed him, leaving him with a spray of blood covering the affected limb.  Danny was in a panic.  There was no where to run.  He was cold and shivering, a combination of wet skin and fierce ocean winds. If he ran towards the mountains, the snipers would have a closer target, but the sea behind him was dark and forbidding. Danny turned to the ocean and cried out to Mano, the Hawaiian god that inhabited the sea in the form of a shark.  "Help me!" he shouted. There was no response.  "Please Mano," he pleaded, this time in a soft, low voice.  Suddenly there was a loud crack.  Like a weapon fired, only this time from nearby.  Danny waited. Had Mano come to his aid?  He waited again. The snipers had stopped firing. Danny fell to the sand in exhaustion and relief.  The tide washed over him.  The water was warm, not cold, as he had feared.  As the tide receded he realized that the blood had been washed away.  Danny closed his eyes and sank further into the sand.  The tide covered him again, up to his neck this time, and remained in place.  As Mano turned to swim away, Danny could feel the shark's fin brush against his shoulder._

Having received no answer to his soft knock, Steve entered the room.  His eye was quickly drawn to the offending window which was allowing sprays of water to enter the room, carried on the gusts of strong winds.  As Steve approached the window a flash of lightning momentarily blinded him, and the following spray of water soaked him through.  Steve shoved the window downward, and it gave off a loud bang as it fell shut.  Steve immediately looked towards Danno.  He was startled to see that Dan lay covered in a light mist of rain, shivering, but fast asleep. His blanket lay on the ground next to the bed. Steve surveyed the room, and his now wet art supplies. 'Never get to use them anyway' he sighed.  He then grabbed the towel that Danny had casually flung over an easel after his shower earlier, and dried him off.  Next, he lifted the blanket off the floor and back onto Danno. Before turning to leave, Steve reached over and laid his hand briefly on Dan's shoulder. 

Closing the door behind him, he wondered why he had felt the need to make contact with Danno.  Steve felt an attachment to his young detective and he was certain he didn't want that.  He worked well with Dan, and enjoyed his on-the-job companionship. But their job was a dangerous one.  He was close to all of his men...often closer than he wanted to be.  He could not to allow himself to become personal friends with any of them - and that included Danno.

When he got to work in the morning he would call Danno's aunt and see if she knew of anything the office could get as a gift for Dan's approaching birthday.  If he used a relay line through New York, the phone call would appear to be local on any line checked, unless the federal agents made a more detailed inquiry.  As for Clara, she might be a bit suspicious about this sudden request for birthday advice, but hopefully she wouldn't question him or think too much of it.  He felt this would be the best way to see if she had been contacted.  He had heard Danny tell his aunt many times on the phone that she may be saying one thing, but her voice was a dead give away to what she was really happening!  They were related alright - her voice and his eyes!  'Must be a family trait,' Steve laughed to himself as he headed back to his room.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Danny sat among a cluster of palm trees and breathed in the warm air of his native land.  He was so grateful to be back on Oahu and alive.  But he knew it wasn't all over yet - not by a long shot.  Dan carefully separated the money Steve had given him and tucked one pile into his shoe, keeping only a few spare singles for his pocket. He carefully looked around and then buried the remaining pile of cash. If he was ever recaptured he knew they would confiscate his money, and should he be lucky enough to escape once again, he wanted to have some money available without having to return to Steve's place.  Then Dan got up and headed back towards the small road that led to the north leeward coast beach of Makaha.  It was a place popular with locals and Dan doubted the feds would be anywhere nearby.  If they were, they would stand out like a sore thumb.  His only worry was bumping into someone he knew.  But then he doubted anyone outside of Five-0 knew of his dire circumstances.  Having ditched the jacket and tie at Steve's the night before, Dan looked no different than any casual daytripper out enjoying the sunshine.

As he walked along the beach road, Danny pondered his next move.  He knew he needed to find a place to stay.  Sleeping out in the open was too dangerous.  He had many friends on the island, but he was reluctant to contact any of them, he knew it would place them in danger.  But he had to find someone he could stay with, he couldn't remain out in the open for long.  Otherwise he would surely be caught.  As for his fellow 5-0 officers, that would be too obvious - the CIA was certain to have them watched.  There were old friends from his days at HPD of course.  Law enforcement guys who could take care of themselves.  Danny reviewed a mental list of possibilities.  Suddenly a name popped into his head, and a smile crept across his face.  It was perfect! The man was reliable, unquestionably honest, and was the type who would be willing to take a risk.  Danny was certain the CIA would not view him as a possible contact, if they even thought of him at all.  To top it all off, the man could easily get a message to Steve without creating a hint of suspicion.  It was just what he needed. Dan diverted from his path and headed over to a nearby bus stop. There he waited in the warm sunshine for the vehicle that would take him to his next waiting point. 

*******

Chin sat on the leather chair in Steve's office looking at the blackboard while Kono paced the office. Steve eyed them hopefully.  Maybe something written on the board would spur a thought or create a link in their minds. Steve had made his usual columns listing all the evidence they had found so far.  In the far right column was a list of information that could have only been provided by Danny himself.  Items such as what had happened on the Marine base and where Danny had been held.  Steve had not directly told either Kono or Chin that he had met with Danno - it would have required them to lie were they ever questioned.  But he knew they were smart enough to draw that conclusion for themselves. 

 Steve looked carefully at Kono.  He wondered if Danno could be staying with him. 'Not likely' he thought.  Kono lived in an extended family situation, with too many family members roaming about.  There was too great a chance that someone would inadvertently mention Danno's presence.  Besides, Danno would never put that many people at risk. Still, it had been two days since the meeting at his apartment, and Steve wondered where his officer was staying. He couldn't shake the apprehension he felt.  Danny had promised to stay in contact with him, but he also knew that Danny wouldn't try to reach him unless he had something solid to report.  Wherever he was, Steve hoped Danno had chosen wisely.

"Steve", called out Chin suddenly. "We getting nowhere. Rock's dried up faster than you can say 'heat wave.' Nobody gonna talk to us.  These intelligence guys – they scaring our witnesses!"

Kono nodded in concurrence.  Steve sighed.  "All right gentleman, what about the ship's manifest? Come up with any leads yet?" Through his Navy contacts Steve had managed to obtain the personnel list of the ship that the dead naval officers had sailed to Hawaii on.  Kono had been spending the last several days tracking down junior officers that had been aboard in the hopes that they might have information on the dead men.  Most of the interviews had been by phone, since these had been mostly young men returning from Vietnam and just passing through Hawaii, but Kono had managed to speak to a few face-to-face who had remained in the islands.

 "Just one so far – maybe," said Kono thoughtfully.  "A Navy pilot named Garrity.  Jonathan, I think. According to a few guys I spoke with, he was supposedly hangin' with the other three on the boat.  Like they was all buddies or something. But he's not on the ship's list."

"Good Kono, good", said Steve, suddenly coming to life. "Let's follow up with that.  From now on use his name directly in your interviews.  Let's get the word out that we know someone's disappeared! I'll try to locate our missing friend's service record. Chin, I need you to get over to Doc's. He's been calling here all morning trying to get me to come see whatever he's got over there.  Take a look will ya?"

"Right, boss," said Chin, and he headed out the door.  Kono followed behind.  Steve walked over to his desk. He buzzed the outer desk and asked Jenny to get him the Department of Naval Records.

*******

Chin Ho Kelly was a seasoned veteran of police work. Through his years at HPD and 5-0 he had seen it all.  Murders, robberies, kidnappings, and even espionage games were nothing new to him.  But there was something about this particular situation that especially bothered this usually unflappable cop.  'Maybe it's because it's one of us this time?' he mused.  But he knew that couldn't be all there was to it.

  Many times before there had been fellow cops missing or injured.  'Perhaps it's Danny?' he thought. There was definitely something special about 5-0's newest member.  He was a thoroughly likeable guy. He was also an excellent cop, deserving of the second-in-command title. Chin hoped Steve wouldn't string him along for too much time more, and would get around to making the title an official one soon. That thought brought a stab of sadness to Chin, 'Maybe Steve waited too long already?  Maybe there's no Danny any longer?"  That thought was especially foreboding as he knocked on Doc Bergman's door.  

"What can I do for you Chin?" greeted the affable coroner.

"Steve sent me over to see what it is you got for 5-0."

Doc shook his head. "Nope Chin, not for 5-0, for _Steve_."

Chin rolled his eyes heavenward.  Doc was always playing these little semantic games with him. "Okay then, what have you got for Steve!"

Again Doc shook his head. "It's for Steve, and Steve only."

"You mean I walk all the way over here and you ain't gonna show me what you got?" Chin asked in exasperation.

"That's right," answered Doc with a friendly smile. "You tell Steve to come on over and see for himself.  And as soon as possible if you don't mind, I'd like to head out and get some lunch."

Chin sighed as he headed towards the door. "You stay away from Uncle Lee's take-out," he called over his shoulder. "I'm gonna tell him not to serve you, you make me come all the way here for nothing."

"I didn't know you were related to Uncle Lee?" Doc responded with surprise.

"We all related, don't you know that?" answered Chin with a wink.  He then turned and exited.  The friendly coroner sat down on the edge of his desk shaking his head and laughing.

*******

It took less than an hour before Steve knew he was onto something.  The official phone request for Lt. Jonathan Garrity's record had apparently caused some sort of stir.  His phone call was being passed up the chain of command, and now he sat waiting for the return phone call from some Washington D.C. bigwig.  He knew what would happen, of course.  He would be told once again to back off.  But this time Steve had a name, and he hoped that maybe he could use it to as leverage for further information.

"Boss, have a moment?" Chin peered in from around the heavy oak door.

"Sure Chin.  What have you got?"

"Me? Nothing.  But Doc's got something.  Insists he can't show me.  Says you gotta come take a look yourself."

Steve sat back and grimaced.  He liked Doc.  A lot.  He was the best coroner he had ever seen.  Efficient, accurate, and detached.  And he was a nice guy to boot.  But Doc Bergman had this annoying habit of insisting on sharing every detail of his macabre work with Steve – and the visuals were usually stuff Steve could have done just fine without.  "All right Chin.  If it is so important maybe I had better go there now. Before I eat my lunch anyway."  The stab at humor was his first since this fiasco started.  It wasn't lost on Chin either, who responded with a hardy laugh.  "If any one calls while I'm gone," Steve continued, "tell 'em I'll get back to them this afternoon."   Steve retrieved his jacket from the back of his chair and headed to one of his least favorite destinations – the morgue.

He found Doc sitting at his desk reviewing the contents of a manila folder.  "All right Doc," said Steve.  "What's so important to see that Chin isn't good enough?"

Doc looked up and greeted Steve with his usual disarming smile. "Just follow me", he said rising from behind the desk.  "It's nothing much, but I thought only you could appreciate this piece of art!"

"Doc, why is every corpse you show me 'a piece of art'?"  Steve replied as he followed Doc down the hall to one of the rooms in which he practiced his disconcerting craft.  

He opened the door and allowed Steve to go on in ahead.  To Steve's shock, there on the metal table in the middle of the room, sat Danno!  With legs dangling over the side of the table and munching on a sandwich. Danny appeared amused by the look on Steve's face. "Hi Steve," he said with a grin.  "Surprised you didn't we?"

Steve was about to answer when Doc's gruff tone interrupted.  "Danny, don't eat on my table!"

Danny looked down at the crumbs that had fallen and wiped them off. "There's no where to sit", he protested. "Except the floor, and that's not clean."  Realizing the ridiculousness of what he had just said in light of where he was sitting, made Danny break out in a laugh.  A moment later the others joined in. Dan hopped off the table and walked over to Steve.  "I've been staying with Doc", he said.  "He brought me in this morning in the wagon.  Figured that's one place those government boys wouldn't be looking!"

"I'll leave you two to discuss matters," said Doc as he turned to leave.  The coroner exited the room shutting the door softly behind him.  As Steve watched him go he knew that from now on Doc would no longer be just a damn good coroner in his mind, he had now been elevated to the rank of Five-0 family.

As they leaned against the wall of the autopsy room, Steve explained to Danno the progress they had made.  When he mentioned the name of Garrity, Danno's eyes grew wide.  "What is it, Danno?" Steve asked.  He knew they had stumbled onto something.  

"There was a letter Steve. Damn! I almost forgot about it. The dead Navy officer, the one staying in the hotel - he had called up the bellboy to take a letter down to the desk and mail it for him.  He was afraid to go out I guess.  Anyway Steve, the bellboy had put it with the other letters to go out but they hadn't been picked up yet. When I showed up the bellboy remembered it and gave it to me."

"That may prove useful Danno.  But what's the connection to Garrity?"

"That was the name the letter was addressed to!  Not Jonathan, some other first name, but I am sure of the Garrity part."  Danny was growing excited now.  Perhaps there was a way out of this mess after all.  Maybe this letter held that key.

"Where is the letter Danno?" 

Dan thought for a moment.  "In the top drawer of my desk.  I was going to get a search warrant to open it." 

Steve shook his head.  "Never mind the search warrant Danno, this is way past legality now.  You stay here. I'll go to take a look at the letter.  I'll let you know what I find." Just before he headed out he turned towards his friend. "Hey Danno, watch the crumbs will you.  Too many germs aren't good for those dead people!"  He saw the rising smirk on Danno's face as he shut the door.

********

By the time he got back to the office the frenzy had already begun.  Three phone calls, all from the CIA headquarters in Washington DC, had come in trying to reach McGarrett.  Steve smiled to himself. 'Let _them_ sweat a bit now.' 

 He entered Danny's cubicle and glanced around.  It was slightly disheveled, almost like Dan himself.  But it was a functional place, with folders strewn over the desktop and pens laid out for easy reach.  It was exactly how Danno had left it 5 days before.  Steve walked over to the desk drawer and removed the small letter size envelope with the name "Roger Garrity" written on the front.  The address was an unknown town in Indiana.  

Steve sat down in Danno's chair and opened the letter carefully.  He took out the contents and unfolded it.  He began to read.  It was a quick read, written in simple terms, but the message came through loud and clear.  Lt. Jonathan Garrity had been recruited to help aerial mine the North Vietnam harbor of Haiphong.  He directed a team of pilots and their crews, their targets pinpointed with the help of Soviet Air Force officers.  He had no way of knowing that what he was engaged in was being specifically repudiated at home by the President of the United States as against US public policy. That was until one of the young Russian officers with whom had become a drinking buddy told him.  When Garrity complained to his superiors, he was immediately pulled off the assignment and told to keep quiet.  He did not.  He continued to complain up the chain of command.  Eventually Garrity began to experience 'accidents' of which he was suspicious.  On the ship home from Vietnam he had a near fatal experience, a piece of falling equipment nearly knocked him overboard, and he began to doubt he would ever make it home.  Garrity chose to confide in three young officers who had become his friends on the voyage, and asked them to please pass on the story to his family should something happen to him.  

McGarrett sighed.  Now he knew why the CIA was so eager to stop the three naval officers and Danno.  Not only did they fear the backlash of the American public if this was brought to light, but the Soviet's would be none to pleased to have their name dragged into this mess.  Steve figured the Russians were involved due to their willingness to stymie the Chinese in any way possible, but a backlash in their own country for working with the Americans would be considered a destabilizing factor to the present regime. All this was secondary to Steve however. World politics was not his foremost concern now. What he needed was a way to use this information to insure Danno's safety.  It took only a few moments to formulate such a plan. 

 Steve picked up Danno's phone and returned the phone call of the Assistant Director of Covert Operations at the CIA, one Louis Gerbert. It was decided that they would meet in two days at the Kapiolani Park bandshell at 7:00am. Steve knew that would give the CIA man enough time to put his local spies into operation, and it would also give Steve enough time to put his own plan into action.  Next he dialed HPD.  He was going to need a few good men.

*****

The next two days Steve spent canvassing the island.  He visited nearly ever post office, no matter how small, and at least half the banks on Oahu.  Just for good measure he went into several courier services and printing houses too.  Each time he brought a few large envelopes with him and left empty handed.  He was careful to drive slowly, those CIA fellows didn't have as much practice in following people as policemen did, and he wanted to be sure they didn't lose him.  The following morning he awoke early and headed to the bandshell.  Arriving 20 minutes before the appointed time, he climbed onto the stage.  Everything was eerily quite.  But as he had several nights before, he knew Danno was already there.  His officer emerged from behind a piece of scaffolding off on the left.  "Morning Steve.  I sure hopes this works."

Steve nodded. "It will Danno, it will." He inwardly hoped that his confidence would transfer over to his detective.  He strongly believed that confidence transferred into the ability to react quickly to changing situations - something they might need this morning.  Steve also knew that their lives were on the line here.  That's why he had not informed either Chin or Kono of this meet.  Their presence here along with their connection to 5-0 would have made them targets too if Steve's plan failed.

The two men stood and waited in the silent, cool morning air.  A midst was blowing in from the ocean and the clouds hung low overhead.  The somber weather seemed a fitting backdrop for this meet.  Danny was growing nervous but he tried to hide it.  He felt himself running his hands through his hair and he quickly jammed them deep into his pockets. Steve leaned against the edge of the performance shell, his eyes carefully scanning the grounds.  Together they waited for the moment that would determine both their fates.  For Danny knew that Steve had now involved himself so deeply in this that whatever fate held in store for Dan, would also be the fate for Steve.  'Perhaps it had been a mistake to return to Hawaii', thought Danny.  But he also knew that without Steve he would not have stood a chance against these men. It would have only been a matter of time until they caught him.  And then what?

Two cars screeched up from the backside of the shell and came to a halt at the bottom of the stage.  The drivers of the cars were completely unmindful of the damage they had just rendered to the grass below their heavy tires. A total of 5 men jumped out, small automatics pointed at the two 5-0 men on the stage.  "All right McGarrett, gigs up!" barked a small older man who Steve took to be Assistant Director Gerbert, the man to whom he had spoken on the phone two days ago.  

"For you, yes", was McGarrett's steady response.  With a slight nod of his head, the 5-0 chief gave the signal that brought nearly a dozen HPD officers with rifles out from behind their hiding spots.  Every last weapon was trained directly on the government men. 

The director peered around him in disbelief.  He had not noticed a single man a moment ago.  He snarled, and then abruptly smiled.  "Well done McGarrett!  I see Navy Intelligence taught you well.  Perhaps it is now time the two of us talk a deal."

Steve reached his hand down and helped Gerbert on to the stage. In a low whisper, heard only by the three men, Steve outlined the agreement.  "I have proof of your North Vietnam mining activities with the Russians," he began, eyes fixing his target with an icy stare. "Lt. Garrity left enough evidence to prove conclusively to any Senate committee what you've been up to.  But I am not going to trust this evidence to the Congress.  Oh no." he continued, shaking his head for emphasis.  "I have addressed multiple letters to every major news organization in the country.  They have been sent to numerous third parties for safekeeping. If anything – and I mean ANYTHING, happens to either Dan Williams or myself, those letters will get mailed."  Steve paused for emphasis. "Do I make myself understood?"

"Of course" the older man answered. A smile graced the director's face. But Steve was certain he saw the underpinnings of real fear in the man's eyes. Apparently the spy feared what would become of him if this evidence ever made its way to the press. Inwardly Steve sighed in relief.  His plan had worked.  He had not a shred of real evidence of course, but the CIA man obviously didn't know that.  And the subterfuge of the last few days would make his story of 'letters in the hands of third parties' completely believable.  No one ever had to know that he had done nothing more with those empty envelopes in all those post offices and banks, than dropping them into various wastebaskets. "In return," Steve continued, "Williams and I will drop our investigation into the deaths of the three naval officers here in Honolulu, and keep what we know about the illegal harbor mining to ourselves."  Steve thought he saw Danny's mouth twitch angrily when he mentioned the dropping of the investigation.

"Very good," said the assistant director, "It is agreed then."  He stuck out his hand towards McGarrett to shake on it.  Steve looked at him disgustedly, then turned and walked a few steps away ignoring the outstretched hand.  The man next turned his attention to Danny. "How about you then Mr. Williams?" he asked with the same congenial tone. Once again he extended his hand.

Steve saw it coming, and made a half-hearted attempt to grab Danny's arm, but he was too slow. Danny's fist landed solidly across the jaw of the CIA man.  His blow carried all the power of righteous anger that had built up over the last fifteen days.  Gerbert attempted to protect himself by lifting his hands towards his face, but Danny landed a second blow, this time to the gut. Gerbert now leaned forward, but again Dan's fists were too quick.  Two more blows caught the assistant director in the solar plexus.  Gerbert in turn attempted to ram his shoulder into Danno. But Danny was too fast. He moved decisively to the right, and as Gerbert lunged past him, Dan delivered another sharp blow to the side. As Steve stood watching he noted with amusement that not one of the government agents made any attempt to help their boss. Nor with all the years in the field the CIA man had racked up, was he able to successfully defend himself against a street trained young cop. 

Finally Steve decided he would need to intervene. Steve walked the few feet between himself and the combatants as slowly as possible. He wanted to give Danno as much time as he could. Finally he grabbed both his friend's arms, and with a solid grip, pulled Danny away from his target.  The young officer made a few unenergetic attempts to break Steve's grasp, but Steve held tight.  "Enough Danno," Steve whispered into his ear sharply, "Enough!"  

Of course the 5-0 boss knew it was not really enough. It could never be enough for all the suffering this man had unleashed in his ruthless cover-up operation. Dead servicemen practically littered this spy's path. And then there was the fear he had visited upon Danno.  Fear of death, fear of failure in Dan's own misguided mind.  Steve angered at the mere thought of what Danno had been through these past two weeks. But still, Steve held his officer fast and would not allow him another blow.  An angry and powerful agent with his pride ruffled could bring repercussions at a later date.  And it was not good for Danno either to be allowed to unleash like this when angry.  Steve knew that the 5-0 officer would need to learn to hold that anger in until the proper time, no matter how much the desire to hurt an offender burned inside him.  For a cop, it was an essential skill.  

After a few tense moments, Dan allowed his arms to drop and for Steve to lead him off the stage to a waiting HPD car.  Danny never looked back at the cause of his torment.  He kept his eyes fixed only on his destination.  Steve on the other hand shot the assistant director a warning glare as he left that could have frozen the inside of Kilauea.  He wanted the man to return to Washington DC hoping never again to set foot in Hawaii. From the look on the spy's face, Steve guessed that the message had gotten through. 

The 5-0 boss approached the HPD commander present at the scene, Sgt. Duke Lukela, and issued a few remaining instructions. Duke nodded and headed off to carry out his orders.  Steve was pleased that not a single HPD man present had needed more than the most cursory of explanations when asked to assist in this venture. Nor had any of those recruited turned 5-0 down.  Partly that was Danno's doing.  Rumblings that Dan was in trouble had made it over to HPD.  Dan had lots of friends from his time over there before joining 5-0.  A mere request to help Dan and 5-0 out in a tricky situation was all that was needed to insure a response. Steve smiled at the thought.  It was good to know that some areas of law enforcement still remained unsoiled by spy tactics and twisted logic. Steve walked around to the other side of the HPD car and got in next to Danny who sat staring out the window, looking at nothing. Steve closed his eyes and exhaled slowly as the car drove off. Back at the bandshell the HPD men began to disperse.  And eventually, all that was left was a contingent of very much chagrined and wiser CIA men.

********

The afternoon sun shone brilliantly in a blue sky.  The weather was warm, but not hot.  Even the trade winds were cooperating by blowing just the slightest of breezes across the small beach that the two Five-0 men sat on, eating their bagged lunches.  Steve watched Danno take a few bites and then shove the rest of his uneaten sandwich into the brown bag.  His second-in-command then stared intensely out into the ocean, as if some fascinating sailing ship that Steve could not see was gracing the water. 

 It had been like this for nearly two weeks now. Danno seemed to be operating as if he existed in a separate world.  He had arrived late for work three times this week, had little to offer in brainstorming sessions, and had failed to show up yesterday for his required yearly weapons qualification. Five-0's once enthusiastic detective was now doing no more than going through the motions of police work.  That Steve could not allow for much longer.  He had a department to run, and the small amount of men he was allotted all needed to have their hearts in it.  Steve hurt for Danny.  Steve realized the fact he was growing closer to Danny and wondered if he had the energy to fight it or deny it.  He finally yielded to this acceptance the day he and Danny came face to face with Gerbert.  For the first time Steve saw the raw anger, pain, fear and the despair that Danny had bottled up inside himself during his ordeal.  He knew that what he had gone through was tough, even life altering, but he also needed to get Dan back on the path before he drifted too far away.  He knew it wasn't just for the job, it was for Danny...and for him.

"Danno, you in there?" was Steve's half-hearted humorous attempt to get Dan's attention.

"Yeah, sure Steve." Danno shifted his focus to the sand in front of him. "I guess you want to talk to me, huh?"  Danno knew he had not been a model of police enthusiasm lately, but he could not seem to find his old self.  It was taking all the energy he had just to get through each day.  Danny wondered briefly if Steve was going to boot him back to HPD.  He doubted it.  If there was one thing that Steve had shown him with this horrible mess, it was that he was as much his friend as he was his boss.  Still, Steve didn't bring him here just to enjoy the scenery.

"Look Danno," Steve began.  "These things take a while to get over.  I know that.  But you won't talk about it and you're not getting any better.  Your body's at 5-0 but your head is somewhere else.  I want to know where."

"How about in a holding cell in the desert somewhere!" Danny shot back angrily, surprising even himself.  "Or maybe in a cemetery laying next to those dead navy guys we sold out when we dropped the investigation!"  Danny leaped to his feet and began to pace as he warmed to his theme.  "Or maybe Steve, my head is at the CIA, on a spike. As an example of what happens to a person's morality when they sell out everything they believe in!"  With this last statement still burning on his tongue Dan could feel his face growing red with anger. He turned his head away just in case his anger made him lose control.  

  


Steve was as surprised with Danno's sudden change in disposition as Dan was.  But that was not all that surprised the 5-0 chief.  Steve had just assumed that his officer was upset over being held captive.  Now he realized that the anger was much deeper.  Dan was not only a good officer, but a good person as well.  His belief in right and wrong, and in justice, were guiding principles in his life.  Seeing the worst elements of his government in action, as he had, obviously had shaken that.  But the worst part of it all to Steve, was that Danno felt complicity in the cover up by having agreed to it. 

 Steve took a moment to think his words through.  He wanted them to come out right the first time.  He stood up and approached Dan who continued to look away, towards the horizon.  "Listen to me Danno.  You did nothing, NOTHING wrong.  You, we, had no choice.  We had to agree to drop the investigation; it was the only way out of this mess.  Besides," Steve dropped his voice to a whisper, his wariness over dealing with the CIA still strong, "we had no proof.  It was a bluff – you know that Danno."    

"So it was an equal trade.  Is that what your saying?" asked Danno.  "My life for the truth?"

Steve put a hand on Dan's back and stood next to him, joining him in his surveying of the imaginary ship on the horizon. "The truth will eventually come out Danno.  In the end it always does.  As for people like Gerbert, well, those type of people, those who twist right and wrong for their own ends - they get theirs eventually Danno.  You mark my words."

Danny sighed and ran a hand through his curly hair.  "Sometimes I wonder if there is any right and wrong anymore. Any good or bad.  Or maybe it's all just the same.  Just depends where you're standing."

Steve was just about to respond when the call from Chin Ho Kelley came through.  They were a couple of dozen feet from the car but both instinctively turned, and within moments they were in the vehicle. "Go ahead, Chin".

"Steve," came the crackling disembodied voice "there's a report come in about an armed robbery in progress over by the Koko Head Golf Course.  Sounds like it could be those same guys did the Makaha Club last month.  Thought you might be up that way and want to check it out."

Steve gunned the engine to life. "Yeah Chin, we're on our way."

****

Steve brought the Mercury to a screeching stop next to a parked HPD vehicle.  The patrolman who had responded first informed the 5-0 head that there had been two armed robbers, both masked; and that as far as he could tell they had already made their getaway. With the robbers had gone large quantities of jewelry and cash appropriated forcefully from the club's wealthy clientele.  Steve and Danno headed inside the club's beautiful white stone main building to have a look around.  They entered the central area where oil paintings of world-renowned golf courses graced the walls, and expensive white leather chairs sat next to gold trimmed glass tables.  Only one person lingered in the empty room, all the remaining patrons had fled outside following the robbery, eager to tell the police of their losses.  McGarrett approached the man who sat reading a magazine.  He was a young man, no more than 25, and he was wearing jeans.  To Steve, that in itself was suspicious.  'A country club like this would have a dress code' he thought to himself.  "Can I have a word with you sir". 

 The young man looked up from his magazine.  He leaned to the left as if to put the reading material on the table beside him. But instead he tossed the magazine at McGarrett, and jumping to his feet fled down the nearest hallway.  Danno, who had been absent-mindedly admiring the surroundings, gave chase with Steve directly behind.  The man led them down several empty corridors.  At one point he disappeared at an intersection.  Danny went to the left and Steve to the right. After a few moments Dan heard the sound of pursuit and knew Steve must have relocated the suspect.  Danny doubled back and the chase began again. Through the maze of the country club the Five-0 men followed their target, the adrenaline pumping through their bodies.  Both Steve and Dan knew he was armed.  As of yet no shots had been fired, but as they rounded every corner they both knew that the possibility of a bullet headed in their direction was very real.  Finally the suspect led them to a dead end.  Unwilling to surrender he pushed open the nearest door and ran into the club's laundry.  Steve and Danny followed him into the room. Once inside they spotted their suspect near the back wall, holding a gun to the head of a very scared young woman.  The girl, who was of Asian heritage, was probably no more than 20 years old, and she wore the uniform of the club's workers. The two Five-0 men with their guns drawn cautiously advanced a few steps.  "You've got nowhere to run," said McGarrett in a calm, but authoritative voice.  "Put the gun down and you won't be hurt."  

The young man did not move.  He stared intently at the 5-0 chief, as if deciding what to do next. Danny meanwhile, was slowly inching his way over towards the far side of the room.  All his senses were at full height. He was working on sheer instinct now, but Dan knew he could trust it. 

"Just put the gun down slowly and I promise you, you won't be hurt", McGarrett repeated.

"No!" yelled the man who was becoming agitated by his limited options.  "You put the gun down or I'll let her have it!"  He pushed the barrel of the gun into the side of the girl's forehead.  

Although frightened, the young woman had had enough. She had grown up in a rough area and had been around tough people all her short life.  She knew when to make her move or risk being hurt.   Suddenly she dropped her body down, allowing her dead weight to break the grasp of the man who held her.  As soon as Danny saw that the gun was no longer directed at the girl's head, he wasted no time.  With amazing speed he crossed the dozen feet or so between he and his target, and body slammed the would-be robber into the far wall.  With the suspect sufficiently dazed from the blow, Danny let him drop to the ground.  Then with a couple of quick movements he had the young man disarmed, frisked and cuffed.  Steve made sure to cover Danny with his weapon, but he could see that the young detective needed no help. 

 Steve then went over to the woman, who now sat on the floor stunned by the previous few minute's happenings and kneeled down next to her.  "You okay?" he asked with a smile.  The girl could only nod, although she managed to return the grin.  Steve looked back over to his officer and watched while Danny hauled his catch to a standing position and out into the corridor.

********

Outside Steve and Danny stood next to the Mercury while they watched the suspect be placed in an HPD car and the girl give her statement.

"Still think there is no wrong or right Danno?" Steve asked his companion.

Danno frowned at the question and the thoughts it brought back.  For the last few minutes he had almost forgotten all of what had happened. Slowly he looked from the girl, to the suspect, and then back again.  Finally he looked at Steve. He knew he didn't really need to give him an answer. "Sorry Steve, for the last few weeks.  Guess I just wasn't myself."

Steve ignored the apology.  It seemed Danno was always apologizing for one thing or another, it was a habit Steve wanted to break.  "I have this second-in-command position back at the palace", he said with false casualness.  "The guy I have now doesn't seem to want the job.  Any chance you'd be interested?"

Steve's humorous, but obviously reproachful question took Danno momentarily by surprise. 'Well, here's my chance', thought Danny mentally regrouping.  He took a deep breath. "That depends", he answered hopefully, "is it an official second-in-command position or just acting second-in-command?"

Steve knew when he had been had.  Danno never ceased to amaze him. Finally he laughed. "All right, all right.  It's an official position", he answered, shaking his head in disbelief and wondering if he was letting himself be conned.  No, Steve knew this wouldn't be a mistake. 

 Danno was the best young cop he had ever seen.  So what if he needed to work on getting all the details? He was a sharp police officer and good with both his mind and his hands.  He was even showing signs of developing first rate cop intuition.  Someday, with a little work and some maturity, he could easily head the unit.  And as for the personal side of things, maybe they could make this friendship work. Maybe keeping too much  distance from his co-workers was not such a good idea after all.  Dan had showed him in this past month that friendship heightened, not dulled, his judgment. Indeed, having a friend like Danno helped him to remember the reasons he went into law enforcement in the first place. 

Then for the hundredth time in the past two weeks, Steve momentarily wondered who it was that was able to order the rescue of Danno from the clutches of the CIA.  He also briefly wondered if he would ever know.  But the one thing he did know right now was that - _whoever _it was - Steve McGarrett and the State of Hawaii owed that person a big favor. 

Steve smiled at his friend and motioned to the car. "Let's get out of here Danno."  

"Right Steve"

The two men jumped into the car, and with the usual squeal of rubber upon asphalt, Danny Williams and Steve McGarrett found their way back onto the road that would lead them to the palace and 5-0.

The End.

Authors' Note: This was the first story that we wrote, so it has a bit of a different style. Perhaps a little bit heavy on the details and with an international crime flavor. Let us know if you enjoyed it or even just what you think. If you are not a member of fanfiction.net, you can still review by using the "submit review" button below. Thanks.


End file.
